I tell you this story from an outsider angle.
Despite being a member at LJGK and my in-laws being at Falsterbo, despite playing both often over the last 25 years, I do not live there and cannot claim to know the exact details. There might be other reasons too that I am not aware of but I see a rivalry and its consequences on the evolution of both courses.
Ljunghusen GK in Southern Sweden is hosting The European Team Amateur Championship next month.
It is also in the immediate vicinity of Falsterbo GK, it's more internationally known older brother.
https://www.ljgk.se/medlem/bana/bilder/flygbilder looks at the other pics too (bana>bilder)
http://www.falsterbogk.se/default.asp?sektion=eng&bs=1 (look at Gallery)
Both were regularly in the top five courses in the country, but there was never any doubt that the daddy was Falsterbo.
Older and with some very classic links holes, it was the local beacon. The upmarket one in the heart of an upmarket seaside resort.
Ljunghusen was the second tier one, the less urban, wilder one. More relaxed and popular, with a bigger golf school. Falsterbo was always ranked ahead.
Until one day, some years ago, after some improvements, LJGK got ranked ahead of it's old neighbour.
SHOCK HORROR! Revolution at FGK!
That seemed to stir an old feud, and kickstarted a race.
Relatively quickly, Falsterbo launched itself into a facelift that has definitely improved the course.
In my humble opinion some of it totally missed the point like at 14 where they destroyed a superb hole. It's now just long, and ugly. Or on 3 which is now a very uninspiring par 5.
They rebuilt all the greens and bunkers, plan to take out some invasive bushes. It looks very good overall. Better. Leaner.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the peninsula, Ljunghusen also launched itself in improvements.
The main course there is no real links. It's rather pure heathland course. BUT the soil is the the same as in Falsterbo, sand, no trees, lots of wind, quite crumple land too but no dunes, and you do see the sea from every hole, as opposed to FGK where you generally don't.
The additional 9 holes, dating back to 1932, is a real links. Flatish but along the beach, sometimes less than 5meters from the sea, quirky and fun.
Suddenly over the last few years, LJGK is trying to turn it's main course into a real links. All the bunkers have been rebuilt to obtain the same looks as in Falsterbo, New tees, some new greens and runoffs areas. One hole had all its bunkers removed, presumably to look more old fashion link..etc. We used to have long and narrow bunkers with grass and heather mounds. We now have round pot bunkers with layered faces. We had old tees framed in big wooden beams, we now have the "mound-top" modern version. It's all nice, but we've lost our soul a bit...
Every summer holiday we discovered yet again some new "improvements" and a group of us are really annoyed by this.
This year, ahead of the European championship, yet again. And now the course looks patchy in places which is a shame.
I have been told that the idea is to present a "real links course". And apparently there might be plans to also touch the old small 9-hole link.
Please don't! Leave it alone. It's fun and quirky. It's perfect.
I am sure Falsterbo is thinking of any improvements they can make themselves too.
But why? Where will it stop? When the greenfees will skyrocket? With bending the local wildlife rules to push the tees 50yards back?
Ljunghusen did that to build a new 18th so it has a finish hugging the sea/laguna. Oh yes of course, it's so necessary...
To do that they had to leave a "dead area" of about 120 yards before the green. No fairway, mowing authorised twice a year to protect an endemic plant. Great...
The old 18th was a reachable par 5 with a terrific green defended by a pond. The new one is a long boring slog of 600 yards with a dead zone in the middle... But it looks more "links" apparently...
Falsterbo will remain half a links course and Ljunghusen will never be a real one. Full stop. It doesn't mean they are not good. They are excellent. And if the wind blows Ljunghusen is going to test the top amateurs real hard.
The course there was excellent as it was. It could have had a few touches here and there and be better presented, that would have been enough. And with Falsterbo next door, we had two different types of course to play on.
Except for the last three holes at FGK both now look more and more similar.
Yes the course at Ljunghusen is generally better now. But was it necessary? Was it worth the money?
Unfortunately the worldwide race to rankings seems to have infected Ljunghusen and Falsterbo.
Enough is enough.
For the sake of misplaced reputation and most probably to flatter the egos of some committee members at both clubs that want to "leave their mark", we get constant disruption, tinkering, and support more costs.
I say: sustainablity first, and do not fix what is not broken.
Does that happen in many places that you know, and what do you think of it?
(sorry for the long post)